


This Dance

by celeste9



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Regency, Crushes, Dancing, Extra Treat, F/F, Mentor/Protégé, Pre-Relationship, Regency in Space, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-07-06 13:14:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15886770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celeste9/pseuds/celeste9
Summary: Rey was certain she must look utterly out of place, like the urchin she was, like street trash dragged in and stuffed into a dress. The feeling grew when she was faced with Vice Admiral Holdo, beautiful and accomplished, a hero of the Resistance.But Rey had knocked Lord Ren into the snow, after all. She could face one dance with Amilyn Holdo at a Coruscant ball.





	This Dance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [saiditallbefore](https://archiveofourown.org/users/saiditallbefore/gifts).



Rey stood near the wall, fidgeting, feeling her toes pinch in her stupid shoes. She was certain she must look utterly out of place, like the urchin she was, like street trash dragged in and stuffed into a dress. Poe had told her she looked lovely but she suspected Poe would say that to anyone and probably mean it, but that didn’t actually make it true. He looked fine in his Navy uniform, dancing with half the room, and Rey wished for one ounce of his self-assured confidence.

“Have this,” Finn said, brushing in beside her and handing her a glass of something bubbly, one in his other hand for himself. “Fizzes all the way down but I think it’s helping.”

Taking the glass gratefully, Rey gulped, a bit too quickly as it felt like the bubbles were going up her nose. She coughed and tried again, liking it better.

She also liked it better when Finn was around, because he looked as awkward as Rey felt. He said the uniform was nicer than his old one, not as stiff and scratchy, but he had never been important enough to be asked to First Order balls so he had as little idea of what to do as Rey did.

Besides which, by all accounts life in the First Order was nothing at all like life in the Resistance.

“I suppose we could dance,” Finn suggested, like he felt he had to but was hoping Rey would decline.

She said nothing because she was quite suddenly rather distracted.

Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo had just swept in, her dress just brushing the floor, her tiara glittering, her hair a bright, vibrant spot of color in the hall. She bestowed tiny smiles on everyone she passed, gliding across the hall as beings stood aside like she was parting the sea.

“Or,” Finn said, “you could go dance with her.”

Startled, Rey blinked her eyes at him. “What?”

He was grinning a little, teasingly. “I know you want to.”

“I can’t dance with Admiral Holdo! She has no idea who I am! And I’d… I’d step on her feet.” Rey blushed at the thought.

“She absolutely knows who you are; everyone knows who you are. The girl from Jakku who defeated Lord Ren in a duel without ever having held a lightsaber before. Besides,” Finn added, raising his shoulders slightly and dropping them. “She’s in tight with General Organa, and General Organa is very fond of you.”

“Admiral Holdo,” Rey said with particular emphasis. “She’s hardly going to be impressed by one duel.”

“It wasn’t just the duel, you--”

“Admiral Holdo!”

Finn bit his lip like he was trying not to smile bigger. Rey continued to blush, especially when she noticed her outburst had been loud enough to direct more than a few interested gazes to her.

“Poe was right; the ivory really does look good on you.”

Rey sighed and yanked at the sash of her dress. “It’s too much material. And I miss my lightsaber.”

“Well, I don’t know about that, but you should probably reconsider that dance because the admiral’s headed this way.”

“What?” Horrified, Rey looked over and found her gaze drawn to Admiral Holdo’s approaching form, her bright blue eyes. For one terrible moment she considered fleeing but stood her ground.

She had knocked Lord Ren onto his back in the snow, after all. She could face one conversation with Amilyn Holdo at a Coruscant ball.

She hoped.

“Rey,” the admiral said warmly. “Finn.”

Rey dropped into a stilted curtsey, trying to ignore the fluttering of her heart at Admiral Holdo greeting her by name, as beside her, Finn made a much more attractive and elegantly formed bow. “Vice Admiral,” they said, nearly as one.

“I’m so sorry,” Finn said, prying Rey’s empty glass from her hand, “but I was just going to find Commander Dameron. Please excuse me, Admiral.”

“Of course,” the admiral said, as Rey tried to communicate with her eyes how much she absolutely hated Finn because he was an awful, awful friend who deserted her in her time of need.

She stopped glaring at his retreating back when she realized Admiral Holdo was watching her. She flushed again. “You look wonderful,” she blurted out.

“You’re very kind,” the admiral said, and Rey almost thought by her tone that she was amused.

So maybe she was making a fool of herself, but at least the admiral liked it a little bit.

“I wondered if we could talk,” the admiral said. “Perhaps while we dance?”

 _Oh, no,_ Rey thought with growing horror. _No, no, no._ “I… I don’t… I never learned.”

“I’ll teach you. Come.”

Reluctantly, Rey let herself be led off towards the center of the hall, where beings were lining up to begin the next dance. She knew she must look appalling, an awkward, uncomfortable girl nearly half a foot shorter than the statuesque and sophisticated Admiral Holdo, but the admiral offered a gentle, encouraging smile that Rey couldn’t help but return.

At the first touch of their palms, a desperate wish ran through Rey, that they shouldn’t be wearing gloves, that she could feel the real warmth of the admiral’s skin against her own. But that was ridiculous, utterly, it was foolish and inappropriate, and –

“Leia thought we might spend some time together,” Admiral Holdo said, carefully leading Rey through the steps of the dance, keeping graceful pace with the music.

“Us?” Rey squeaked out. It must be a mistake. Rey was a nobody.

 _General Organa is very fond of you,_ Finn’s voice said in her head.

“She thought you seemed a bit… lost. I wouldn’t want to presume, but if you should like someone to help you--”

“Yes!” Rey exclaimed, half-terrified and half-overly excited. “I mean, you’re… You’ve done so much, for the Resistance, for the Rebellion, for the galaxy! And I… I have no idea what I’m doing. In case you couldn’t tell,” she finished a bit shame-facedly as she accidentally did squash the admiral’s toe beneath her foot.

Admiral Holdo was smiling very widely for a person who had just been stepped on. “It may surprise you,” she said, “but I have often had no idea what I’m doing as well.”

“Really?”

“Really. Has Leia ever told you how exactly we first became friends?”

Rey found herself caught by the admiral’s beautiful blue eyes and quite forgot that she was supposed to step back; instead she kept her hand pressed to the admiral’s, their palms flush, and wished again, foolishly, that she might touch bare skin.

Admiral Holdo smelled sweeter than all the flowers on Takodana and Rey was glad that she was the one who could read thoughts and emotions around here because stars was she making an idiot of herself. She hoped General Organa wasn’t paying the slightest bit of attention.

“She hasn’t,” Rey said, still looking up, bolstered by the way Admiral Holdo continued to hold her in, the fingers of her other hand warm at Rey’s waist.

“Well,” Admiral Holdo said. “Then that will make for a very good story.”

Rey couldn’t wait to hear it.


End file.
